The Philippines on Monday accused China of temporarily blinding its crew in the disputed South China Sea using a military-grade laser.
“The Chinese ship illuminated the green laser light twice toward the BRP Malapascua, causing temporary blindness to her crew at the bridge,” the Philippines said in a statement.
The BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine naval sentry ship that has been marooned on Second Thomas Shoal since 1999, was receiving supplies and crew members when it was ordered by a Chinese coast guard to leave the region.
“The deliberate blocking of the Philippine government ships to deliver food and supplies to our military personnel on board the BRP Sierra Madre is a blatant disregard for, and a clear violation of, Philippine sovereign rights in this part of the West Philippine Sea,” the Philippine coast guard said.
On February 6, the Chinese ship also sailed dangerously close, at a distance of only 449 feet, to prevent the Philippine patrol vessel BRP Malapascua from getting too close to Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged coral that had been seized by Filipino soldiers.
The Philippines has lodged around 200 diplomatic protests against China’s aggressive behavior in the disputed waters in 2022 alone.
In the midst of escalating tensions with China following the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon last week, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea over the weekend.
The U.S. has begun taking steps to reestablish its military might in the Philippines more than 30 years after closing its sizable bases there and strengthening an arc of military alliances in Asia.
Since the balloon incident, the Air Force has been shooting down several foreign objects over the U.S. and Canada. Most recently, the U.S. shot down another high-altitude “object” flying at 40,000 feet over the frozen waters off Alaska on Friday.
Most recently, green laser beams believed to be from a Chinese satellite were also spotted over Hawaii. Scientists at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan said earlier this month that the mysterious green beams may have been from the Chinese Daqi-1/AEMS satellite.
